166 



BUBONID^. 



and, like the inner lining of the quills, barred with fulvous. Total 

 length 12-5 inches, wing 9-7, tail 5-8, tarsus 1-3. 



Having thus carefully examined a large number of these Owls, 

 I believe that there are only three forms to be distinguished speci- 

 fically — two light and one dark. The light grey birds are peculiar to 

 the Himalayas aud the Andamans, the dark one ranges all over India 

 (vide siq^rd) and Ceylon, Malaisia, through China to Japan, and south- 

 wards into the islands of the Malayan subregion. The birds vary 

 infinitely in size, even from the same locality, as will be seen by the 

 following 



Synopsis of measurements. 



a. Ninoxluguhris. 



*• „ . 7, 



c. „ hirsida. 



<i- „ }, 



e. „ scutulata. 



./• j> » 



ff- » » 



i. „ japonica. 



"►• 11 1) 

 I. 



Himalayas . . 

 Malabar .... 



Ceylon 



Nicobars .... 

 Malacca .... 

 Burmah. . . . 



Siam 



Cochin China 

 N. China, For- 

 mosa, Japan 

 „ S. China, Hai- 

 nan 



borneensis. Borneo .... 

 lahuanmsis. Lahuau . . 

 Jloreiisis, Flores 



Total 



length. 



inches. 



10-0-12-5 



110 

 10-5-11 o 



120 

 10-0-11-5 

 11-5-12-5 



11-5 

 11-5-120 



Wing. 



inches. 

 8-0-8-75 



8-0 

 7-4-7-5 



7-4 

 6-9-7 -9 

 8-1-8-4 



7-7 

 8-0-8-25 



Tail. 



inches. 



4-6 -5-6 



4-7 

 4-0 -4-8 



5-0 

 4-5 -50 

 5-25-5-5 



5-0 

 5-4 -5-5 



Tarsus. 



inches. 



1-05-1-15 



1-1 

 1-05-1-1 



1-05 



10 -1-1 



1-15-1-2 



1-1 



11 



10-5-12-5 8-3-9-1 4-9 -5-4 1-0 -1-05 



] 0-5-11-5 



10-0-11-5 



10-0-11-0 



12-5 



8-0-8-5 



8-5 

 7-1-7-3 



91 



4-8 -4-8i 



4-1 -5-0 



4-0 -4-2 



5-5 



1-0 -1-05 



0-95-1-1 



0-9.1-10 



1-2 



Neither does the number of tail-bands help us at all, nor the 

 barring of the quills ; for these characters are very variable, and 

 perhaps depend on age. The result seems to be that, taking the 

 Malaccan form (probably identical vrith the Sumatran) as the most 

 typical, we find a great variation in size, the species gradually in- 

 creasing to the northward, and reaching its maximum in Chinese 

 and Japanese specimens. This larger bird seems to be migratory, 

 if we may judge from the exact identity of N. japonica with N. 

 Jloreusis. The South-China bird is smaller than the North-China 

 one ; and the Nicobar bird is intermediate between these and N. 

 Tiirsufa of Ceylon, which is the smallest and darkest of all. 



<Jsq. 



Hugh Cuming 



Purchased. 



Purchased. 



J. Gould, Esq. [P.]. 



Purchased. 



Major Charlton [C.]. 



A. maktccensis. 

 Piu-chased. 



Type of 



A. R. WaUace, Esq. [CI. 

 A. E. Wallace, Esq. [C.]. 

 oi A.Jlorensis. 



Type 



